Mr. McCallum

2025 Grade 2 & Grade 3

Posted: April 23, 2025

April 23

Daily Update:
We got right down to business this morning and kicked off the day with our spelling words focused on the -s and -es endings: apples, desks, benches, and matches. Our "Show, Not Tell" prompt was: “He liked cards,” and students did a great job showing this idea with descriptive details. We continued our lesson on suffixes and completed a maze about today's guests and our goal of building listening stamina.  In writing, we worked on personal narratives using a planning sheet to help us write a story for a character named Sadie who built a cardboard car. We shared some creative drafts, spent some time reading independently, and got ready for snack.

Math:
Grade 1 and 2 students tackled more word problems today, working on extracting key numbers and deciding which operation to use. We talked about needing both a math sentence and a word sentence to fully explain our solutions—this will definitely take some practice! They also reviewed their basic addition and subtraction facts. Grade 3 students modeled subtraction using visual representations and practiced mental math strategies to improve fluency.

PE:
We had a fun combined gym class with the K–1s and played hula hoop games that got everyone moving and smiling!

JMH Literacy Mentors:
At the end of each session, we reflect on how we behaved and interacted with our mentors. The students gave themselves some high behavior ratings today—hopefully that means they were respectful, engaged, and showing their best selves. The mentors are learning too, and we always want to support them!

Music:
Mr. Whalen stopped in for ukulele practice, and Mrs. Hill kindly stepped in as the official PowerPoint slide changer while I worked with students. After music, we packed our bags and got ready for the buses.

Picture of the Day:
Practicing our spelling words with the help of our JMH Literacy Mentor!

Posted: April 22, 2025

April 22

Daily Update:
Happy Earth Day! We also hope everyone had a fun and restful Easter Break. We jumped right into our routine this morning and got to work. Our spelling focus stayed on silent consonants, with the words: knife, wrote, climb, and jamb. Our "Show, Not Tell" sentence was: “She was good at finding eggs,” and the class had fun showing this idea with creative language.  We reviewed suffixes today, focusing on adding -s and -es to words. Our reading maze included references to today’s special guests and the windy weekend weather. In writing, we used a narrative planning sheet to break down the key parts of a personal story. After editing our drafts and reading quietly, we washed up for snack.

Math:
Grade 1 and 2 students tackled word problems, learning how to pull numbers from the story and choose the correct operation to write a number sentence. They also practiced their addition and subtraction facts. Grade 3 students modeled the addition of more than two numbers using visual representations and recorded the process symbolically. We wrapped up early and headed to guidance with Mrs. Robichaud.

Guidance:
Today’s guidance lesson focused on friendship skills. We discussed two big questions: “What do you do when you feel left out?” and “Why won’t you play with me?” Students shared thoughtful responses and solutions.

PE:
In gym, we started with a basketball warm-up and then transitioned into a game of baseball—great energy and teamwork all around!

Roots of Empathy:
Allison visited with Baby Kade, who turns 11 months old tomorrow! He showed off how much he loves to bounce and made lots of happy sounds, though still no words. We also noticed how he mimicked student actions—when we tapped on a book, so did he. Why do babies do that?

End of Day Routine:
To mark Earth Day, we watched a short video about taking care of the planet, then began germinating bean plants and sunflowers in the classroom. We also spent some time cleaning out our desks, though it took a bit longer than planned and we didn’t quite get to signing our Home to School books before the bell rang. We packed up and got ready for the bus just in time.

Picture of the Day:
Baby Kade loved mimicking students—when we tapped the book, he tapped too. 

Posted: April 17, 2025

April 17

Daily Update:
We had a solid start to our morning today. Our spelling words focused on silent consonants: knight, wrinkle, bomb, and crumb. Our "Show, Not Tell" prompt was: “He had a fish on his line,” which led to some very descriptive and exciting sentences! We completed a maze about our guest, Mr. Watters, who would be joining us later for cardio drumming. In writing, we worked on wrapping up our personal narratives using one of four strong endings: a feeling, a hope, an action, or a lesson learned. After editing and peer sharing, we washed up and got ready for snack.

Art:
We brought out the paints today and students chose between decorating Easter canvases or painting plaster statues shaped like eggs, chicks, and bunnies. What did you decide to create?

Cardio Drumming:
Mr. Watters joined us for an energetic session using fitness balls, buckets, and drumsticks. We practiced rhythm, coordination, and movement all at once—it was such a blast! A huge thank-you to Mr. Watters for always bringing fun and creativity to Napan!

PE:
The gym was set up for gymnastics again, with blue mats covering the floor. We practiced our front rolls, back rolls, bridges, and cartwheels. Everyone is showing great progress!

JMH Mentors:
Our literacy mentors from JMH returned again today, bringing engaging games and activities to help boost the reading and writing skills of our K–3 students. Their preparation and teamwork were fantastic as always!

End of Day Routine:
To close out the day, we enjoyed two Easter-themed read-alouds that were absolutely egg-cellent! Students packed home a memo about our upcoming fishing trip to Middle Island on Friday, April 30. We finished the day by tidying up the classroom, packing up, and earning some well-deserved free choice time.

Picture of the Day:
Our K–3 students getting into the groove with cardio drumming—catch them opening for Aerosmith any day now!

Posted: April 16, 2025

April 16

Daily Update:
We had a much smoother start to our morning today—great job, everyone! Our spelling words continued to focus on silent consonants: knuckle, wrong, climb, and comb. Our "Show, Not Tell" sentence was: “He was musical,” and students found creative ways to show this through actions and sounds. We worked through a reading maze about having guests from JMH this afternoon and continued developing our personal narratives. Today’s focus was on using temporal words like first, next, then, and suddenly to guide the reader through our stories. After editing and corrections, we cleaned up and washed our hands for snack.

Math:
Grades 1 and 2 continued practicing place value with another oral listening activity and reviewed addition, subtraction, and skip counting using the hundreds chart. Grade 3 students modeled the addition of two 3-digit numbers using visual representations and recorded their process symbolically. They also had some time on DreamBox to reinforce their skills.

PE:
We walked into the gym and saw blue mats spread across the floor—gymnastics day! Students practiced front rolls, back rolls, bridges, and even cartwheels. It was great to see so much enthusiasm and movement!

JMH Mentors:
A group of girls from JMH arrived by bus and set up a variety of literacy games and drills for our K–3 students. Their efforts are making a big impact, and our students really enjoy the activities they prepare each visit.

End of Day Routine:
Normally on Wednesdays we meet with Mr. Whalen for ukulele practice, but he was unavailable today. Instead, we had a calming clay activity and worked together to tidy up the classroom. While we didn’t earn free choice today, we’ll keep working together to reach that goal as a team.

Picture of the Day:
Demonstrating proper cartwheel technique—though we’re still wondering why Mr. Ross didn’t volunteer to show us himself!

Posted: April 15, 2025

April 15

Daily Update:
Today marked the first day of fishing season in New Brunswick, and there was definitely some excitement in the air! Keep an eye out for a memo this week about our class heading out on a fishing adventure soon. This morning, we had a chat about tightening up our routine—now that we’re in the final stretch of the school year, we want to finish strong, not slow down! Our spelling focus was on silent consonant combinations: kn, wr, and mb, with words like knee, wrote, wrist, and thumb. Our "Show, Not Tell" sentence was: “She liked to read.” We completed a maze about having guests in the afternoon and continued building our personal narratives. Today’s focus was on writing clear beginnings using four key parts: when, who, where, and what. Many students made excellent edits—and some even earned a Responsible Choice!

Math:
Grades 1 and 2 continued their place value review with another oral listening activity. Understanding place value is critical for addition, subtraction, and beyond! Grade 3s stretched their mental math skills by working with four-digit numbers. We finished math early and headed off to guidance before lunch.

Guidance:
Mrs. Robichaud focused on friendship skills—always a great refresher as springtime brings lots of social energy! We also worked on some top-secret card projects for the end of the month. Shhh!

PE:
We warmed up with basketball and then pulled out a crowd favorite—the parachute! No matter how old you are, it’s hard not to smile when the parachute comes out in gym!

Roots of Empathy:
Allison Casey visited us and led a conversation about communication. We read a beautiful Korean story called Dear Juno and even made little drawings for Baby Kade. Allison surprised us with a sweet Easter treat—Cadbury eggs! Judging by the reactions, they’re just as popular with the students as they are with me. Thank you, Allison!

End of Day Routine:
We ended the day on a high note with a special donut treat, thanks to everyone being respectful during our guest visits. We wrapped things up with French vocabulary, signed our Home to School books, packed up, and got ready for dismissal.

Picture of the Day:
Spring is on the way, and we’re leveling up our basketball skills—outdoor court domination coming soon!

Posted: April 15, 2025

April 14

Daily Update:
We kicked off the week with our usual morning routine. Our spelling focus continued with the /aw/ sound, using words like bawl, launch, caught, and seesaw. Our "Show, Not Tell" sentence was: “It was rainy,” and students worked hard to describe the scene using rich, descriptive language. We practiced listening skills before jumping into a reading maze all about indoor lunch routines. We also introduced consonant combinations where one letter is silent—like kn, wr, and mb. In writing, we started a new unit on personal narratives. Do you know what a personal narrative is? Students began with a quick write and shared their ideas before we headed out for recess.

Math:
Grade 1 and 2 students continued reviewing place value, adding on, and column addition. Today, we added a tool to the mix—a hundreds chart! We practiced jumping straight down by tens and moving right for ones to help find answers. Grade 3 students worked on estimating sums in story problems involving two-digit numbers.

Science:
With the rain pouring down outside, we explored the topic of flash flooding. We discussed the three main conditions that lead to flash floods in places like "Flood Alley" in Texas. Do you remember what they are? We also compared them to the causes of flooding in New Brunswick—are they the same or different?

PE:
Today's PE block featured a rotation of centers, including floor hockey, rock wall, climbing wall, and basketball drills. There was something for everyone! Which center do you think is the class favorite?

End of Day Routine:
To wrap things up, we watched a French vocabulary video, signed our Home to School books, packed our bags, and enjoyed a few minutes of free choice time before the buses were called. A full and productive Monday!

Picture of the Day:
Morning meeting in full swing—discussing cards, sharing pictures, and negotiating trades!

Posted: April 10, 2025

April 10

Daily Update:
Miss Brown returned today and I was back in the classroom! We jumped into our usual morning routine today with spelling words focused on the /aw/ sound: crawl, gauze, taught, and drawing. Our "Show, Not Tell" prompt was: “He was a bad winner,” and students had some fun (and dramatic!) ways of showing what that might look like. Instead of our usual Heggerty activities, we practiced listening skills.  We also did some organization by sorting and filing recent work into our duotangs. We then partnered up for buddy reading, and today I allowed students to bring in and share their pokemon and sports cards during todays session as a special treat.  Afterward, we grabbed snacks and headed outside for some fresh air and playtime.

Math:
Grades 1 and 2 continued their focus on place value with another oral listening exercise, reviewed "adding on" strategies, and practiced column addition. They also worked on quick recall of single-digit facts and explored fact families. Grade 3 students concentrated on mental math strategies, working on both addition and subtraction fluency.  They also worked on some estimation and played some dreambox.  

After Lunch – PE:
We had an action-packed gym class today with a range of activity centers: floor hockey, gymnastics, the rock wall, and basketball. There was something for everyone, and the energy level was high!

JMH Mentors:
Our literacy mentors from JMH were back to work with K to 3 students. It’s great to see how both the high school mentors and our students are finding their rhythm. The engagement and teamwork were truly impressive today.

End of Day Routine:
To wrap up, we watched a French vocabulary video, put up our chairs, signed our Home to School books, and packed up. Those who were packed and ready got a bit of free choice time—some even explored Pokémon card values on Amazon! We bundled up, got on the buses, and headed home while the teachers stayed behind for evening parent-teacher interviews. A reminder: there is no school for students tomorrow due to continued interviews.

Picture of the Day:
Homemade board games with our literacy mentors—it got intense!

Posted: April 9, 2025

April 9

Daily Update:
Today was Miss Grace Sobey’s last day with us for the week, as Miss Brown returns tomorrow and I’ll be back in the classroom. We began with our regular routine, working on our spelling words focused on the /aw/ sound: crawl, cause, caught, and August. Our "Show, Not Tell" sentence was: “The water was hot,” and students shared descriptive ways to show heat without saying it directly. We moved into our Heggerty listening games and a reading maze about our JMH visitors. In UFLI, we reviewed more /aw/ vowel patterns (au, aw, augh), and in writing, students used their imaginations with the prompt “How to Use Superpowers.” After a good writing block and Read to Self, we grabbed snacks and went outside for recess.

Math:
Grades 1 and 2 continued their work with place value, completing an oral listening task and practicing column addition and "adding on" strategies. We also revisited single-digit addition and subtraction facts and explored fact families. Grade 3 focused on mental math strategies for both addition and subtraction—Term 3 is definitely shaping up to be full of mental math practice!

After Lunch – PE:
We took advantage of the great weather and played outdoors with hula hoops and a game of Tail Snatch. It’s so nice to get back outside and stay active!

JMH Mentors:
Our JMH literacy mentors were back today, and students rotated through several reading and word work stations. It was great to see how much effort students put in with their mentors, and how respectful and focused they were during each activity.

Music:
Mr. Whalen joined us to continue our ukulele work. Our rhythm is becoming more steady, and soon we’ll be shifting our focus to chording, which will help us get a smoother, fuller sound. Most importantly, we’re having fun while learning!

Picture of the Day:
Mr. Ross and the boys working together to explain their mental math strategies!

Posted: April 8, 2025

April 8

Daily Update:
With Miss Brown away today, I spent time in the office, and we welcomed back our guest teacher, Miss Grace Sobey. We began with our regular morning routine, including spelling words focused on the “ew / ui / ue” vowel sounds: stew, juice, duel, and blueprint. Our "Show, Not Tell" sentence was: “The teacher was kind,” and students found creative ways to show kindness through their writing. We completed our Heggerty listening games and tackled a reading maze about report cards being sent home yesterday. In UFLI, we introduced a new sound: /aw/ as spelled in au, aw, and augh—which means fresh spelling words are coming tomorrow! Our writing prompt was “How to Hide a Bad Report Card,” which sparked some very imaginative (and mischievous) stories. After a short Read to Self session, we grabbed our snacks and headed out for recess.

Math:
Grades 1 and 2 continued their work on place value with an oral listening quiz, where they had to write down spoken 3-digit numbers. They also reviewed single-digit addition and subtraction facts and explored fact families using—yes—French fry boxes! Grade 3 students practiced mental math strategies and identified skip-counting patterns with explanations.

Guidance:
We worked on making cards and recording video messages for something special at the end of the month... but I may have already said too much!

After Lunch – Science:
Students had some follow-up questions from earlier science lessons, including one great question: “How does sand get on beaches?” This led to a short discussion about erosion, water movement, and natural landforms.

PE:
We set up a gym circuit today with stations including the climbing wall, floor hockey, and scooter races. Students were reminded that the biggest rule—whether in the gym, classroom, or playground—is always to BE SAFE.

End of Day Routine:
To finish the day, we read a hilarious (and gross!) story about slime, then moved into French vocabulary practice and our Book of Gratitude. After signing our Home to School books, I reminded students that I’ve added parent-teacher times for Friday. If you'd still like to book a slot, feel free to return the form or email me at mike.mccallum@nbed.nb.ca.

Picture of the Day:
The Napan rock wall continues to be a student favourite activity!

Posted: April 7, 2025

Daily Update

Starting the day looking at some cards on the picnic tableI spent time in the office today as Miss Brown was away, and our guest teacher, Miss Grace Sobey, was back to support us. We began with our usual routine, starting with spelling words focused on the "ew / ui / ue" vowel sounds: "blew," "cruise," "true," and "suitcase." Our "show, not tell" activity involved the phrase "the teacher was mean." We practiced our Heggerty listening games and then worked on a reading maze related to report cards, which are being sent home today. For writing, students responded to the prompt "How to get a good report card." Afterward, we enjoyed some quiet reading time before grabbing a snack and heading out to the playground.

Math

The Grade 1 and 2 students have been focusing on place value. Today, we held an oral listening test where I read five 3-digit numbers, and the students wrote them down correctly. We also worked on single-digit addition and subtraction facts, preparing to move on to 4, 5, and maybe even 6-digit numbers soon! The Grade 3 students practiced mental math strategies, identifying errors and omissions in skip counting sequences.

After Lunch Science

We explored some questions about rivers during science class today.

PE

We went outside for soccer practice, which felt great after being indoors for so long. It's still chilly, so please ensure the students are dressed warmly for PE.

End of Day Routine

At the end of the day, we worked on some French vocabulary, reflected in our "book of gratitude," and signed our books for home. Report cards were also sent home. If you'd like to schedule a parent-teacher interview, please fill out the form inside the report card.

Picture of the Day

Starting the day by looking at some cards on the picnic table.

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